BitterSweetLife

I remember with fondness my first graduate-level exam. I approached it like a dare, with a certain flamboyance. It was me versus the exam. Me versus the professor, the establishment, the world. I’d take their best pitch and knock it out of the park into A-land.

Today, the metaphor has changed. I’m playing dodge-ball, and I always seem to be on defense.

Last week, I successfully executed my first artful dodge, good to get me to the next round. The idea is to remain unflattened on my section of playground until the air clears. I’ll stay out in the open where there’s room to maneuver. The opposition always has their eye on you, but at least you have time to dodge. Those who set up in the tight corners systematically get plastered. They think they can hide behind each other but it never works.

Sometimes I wonder what it will take to “regress” to my original strength and speed. How do I get back to taking my cuts, giving out better than I got, brutally KO-ing unsuspecting tests? Is academic aggression a thing of the past?

Only time will tell. One thing, however, is for sure.

On Monday, the games begin again…